St Helens woman murdered at City of London apartment block

Bethany-Maria Beales, 22, hailed from St Helens but was living in London at the time of her death

Published:11:30Thursday 31 May 2018

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A 22-year-old St Helens woman dubbed “a shining star” by her family has been murdered at an apartment block in the City of London.

Bethany-Maria Beales, from St Helens, was found with injuries that suggested she had fallen from a height at the Heron building on Moor Lane on Saturday.

Bethany-Maria Beales

According to her profiles online, she was an actor and singer with a particular interest in musical theatre.

City of London Police said two people, a man and a woman both aged 38, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and released under investigation.

Deaths of this kind are rare in the Square Mile and this is the first murder investigation that the force has launched in three years.

Miss Beales’ family said in a statement: “Beth was a kind, funny, loyal, intelligent, talented and stunningly beautiful person who changed the lives of everyone fortunate enough to know her and lucky enough to be loved by her.

“She was more than a daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, stepsister, step-auntie, god-daughter or friend. She was the world to us all.

“She had the brightest smile and the most beautiful singing voice. She was our songbird. She had an amazing talent that, if it had been seen by the world, would have become known to millions.

“To say we will miss her does not come close to describing how we feel. Our world will never be as bright again now that our shining star has gone.”

She said: “We would like to extend our thoughts and condolences to Bethany’s family and friends at this difficult time and reassure them we are doing everything we can to determine the circumstances of this tragic incident.

“Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or may have information which can assist our investigation is asked to contact police as soon as possible.

“We are particularly keen to speak to anyone who was in the Heron building, or the vicinity, on Saturday that may have seen or heard something.”